About Dr. Colleen
Dr. Colleen has had a long-term passion for health and wellness and a fascination for how the human body works. In pursuit of better understanding human physiology, Dr. Colleen her Honours BA in Kinesiology and Physical Education with a minor in Psychology, at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON. Unsure of what path while in her 3rd year of university, Dr. Colleen was serendipitously gifted with an opportunity to see a Naturopathic Doctor in her hometown of Peterborough, Ontario. Lo and behold, Dr. Colleen stumbled upon a career whose philosophy was in line with what she have always thought medicine should be: to treat the individual, not the symptom, with safe and effective therapies and, most importantly, ascertaining the underlying causes of disease. After our hour-long first visit, Dr. Colleen knew her next steps.
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Not but a few months later, Dr. Colleen matriculated to the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, in Toronto, Ontario, where in 2011, she completed her four years of training as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. During my formative education, she completed an externship in Beijing, China at a hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where she honed my pulse and tongue diagnostic skills and reinforced her knowledge of herbal medicine.
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Upon successful completion of her four-year diploma as Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, Dr. Colleen fulfilled her desire to move westward, toward the mountains and ocean, to start her family-focused Naturopathic practice in Campbell River, BC where she continues to serve both the residents of Campbell River, as well as smaller communities on the North Island with her satellite clinic in Port Hardy, BC.
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Over the last 8 years of practice, Dr. Colleen has adopted an eclectic style of practice where she incorporates an array of physical and energetic medicines to best address her patient's health needs including diet, acupuncture, functional medicine, herbal remedies, homeopathy, Bach flowers and phytoembryotherapy. Dr. Colleen relies heavily on her psychology background and has a special interest in addressing her patient's mental health including trauma and abuse.
Outside of the teaching role Dr. Colleen has assumed for her patients, her passion for education has lead Dr. Colleen to expand into a teaching role at the Canadian School for Natural Nutrition located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where since 2015 she has been instructing students in Pathology, Cell Biology as well as Anatomy and Physiology. It is with great honour that she shares her knowledge and clinical experience with the students who have matriculated to CSNN.
In her spare time, she can be found at Robert Ostler park, practising yoga, in Strathcona Park conquering another summit with my dogs, cycling down the roads of Quadra Island, climbing the crags at Crest Creek or Comox Lake or surfing on the west coast.
-Naturopathic Techniques-
botanical medicine
Botanical medicine uses plants for their healing and nutritional values. The flowers, roots, leaves or oils of a plant may be used in the remedy and therapy may take the form of teas, tinctures, ointments, essential oils and supplements. Botanical medicines are carefully selected to address your physiologic needs.
Intramuscular Stimulation
IMS involves the insertion of fine acupuncture type needles into the body where muscles have shortened or contracted causing pain. Through insertion of needles into these trigger points, muscles relax allowing the healing process to ensue.
​IMS treatment is best suited to treat soft tissue pain including migraines, tension headaches, neck/back pain, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, tendonitis and more.
lifestyle medicine
Mental attitudes and emotions are important elements in overall health. Dr. Colleen focuses on helping her patients optimize sleep, cope more effectively with stress, optimize their exercise regime and discover their passions as a foundation to good health.
mind/body medicine
Mind/Body Medicine refers to the ways in which emotional, mental, social and spiritual factors together can directly affect health. Dr. Colleen uses her background in psychology to help her patients understand and work through the mental-emotional roots of their physical complaints. Dr. Colleen has a special interest in helping her patients work through a history of trauma and/or abuse as a key element to helping them achieve optimal health.
nutritional medicine
Nutrition is a pillar to optimal health. Dr. Colleen creates a diet that is optimal for her patients' health needs. Dr. Colleen takes into account your genetics, testing for nutrient deficiencies and isolating and removing allergenic foods, when determining the most appropriate diet for each person.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used to diagnose, prevent and treat illness for thousands of years. It is a unique system of medicine based on the detailed observation of bodily functions, signs and symptoms. Through the application of acupuncture, acupressure, diet, massage and medicinal herbs, the physical and energy processes of the body to realign and balance the body systems.
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My ultimate goal as a Naturopathic Doctor is to provide comprehensive and individualized healthcare, to address your wellness needs, with a special focus in helping her patients understand and address the psycho-spiritual and emotional factors pertinent to their illness.
The goal: to figure out what is at the heart of your disease.